Middle East tanker operators expand, adapt, consolidate

Specialist product and chemical trade is served by a smaller group of regionally based operators. Hafnia Chemical Pool has added several IMO II/III tankers on Middle East-Asia routes, supported by digital charter platforms and technical enhancements, such as low-flashpoint cargo monitoring. Bahri Chemicals continues to deploy stainless-steel parcel tankers across the Indian Ocean and Red Sea region. Alpha8 Pool, controlled by Israeli trading interests, has used chemical tankers flagged in Africa and Europe to enter regional trades, while Monjasa Chartering manages bunkering support and niche short-haul tanker deployment from Fujairah and the western Gulf.

“Specialist product and chemical trade is served by a smaller group of regionally-based operators”

Sanctions and regulatory workarounds have drawn Sovcomflot and Novoship into the region through relocated operations and adjusted routing. Sovcomflot continues to manage its fleet using intermediated technical managers. For instance, a 2010-built, 158,100 dwt Suezmax tanker is beneficially owned by Sovcomflot, but operational management and the commercial controller are listed as Teodor Shipping, located in Dubai. This pattern is repeated across the Sovcomflot tanker fleet.

The company stated that it transported approximately 15% of Russia’s oil exports in Q1 2025, relying on Middle Eastern shipyards, anchorages, and bunkering. Novoship, via affiliated vessels, has sustained trade through UAE-linked brokers and reflagged Aframax and Suezmax tonnage.

Beyond these established operators is a looser group of Middle East-based or affiliated private companies. Akron Trade & Transport has taken delivery of MR tonnage serving intra-Gulf and Gulf-India routes. Safe Seas Ship Management FZE and Zimar Shipping manage third-party chemical and product tankers on regional charters, and have implemented BWTS retrofits across a number of vessels. Eiger Shipping and Bihar International appear in public records as product tanker operators, with fleet activity concentrated in coastal Gulf routes.

Modernisation efforts across the region vary in scale and depth. Bahri and ADNOC are introducing dual-fuel engines and voyage optimisation software, while Monjasa, Hafnia, and Safe Seas have all deployed digital chartering tools. Retrofitting of ballast water systems has been reported in every segment. Energy efficiency improvements include new hull coatings, integrated navigation systems, and performance monitoring. However, only a limited number of regional vessels are prepared for FuelEU Maritime or CII compliance beyond the minimum.

Geopolitical instability continues to shape routing and operations. Tankers transiting the Red Sea have faced disruptions linked to Yemen, while VLCCs from Iran and Russia have adapted by using the Arabian Sea for STS transfer or transits via the Cape of Good Hope. Access to Western classification and insurance remains restricted for NITC and Sovcomflot. Gulf-based operators have instead worked with Asian classification societies or national registries. The Strait of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb continue to impose operational risk that is now being priced into voyage charters.

Looking ahead, national shipping companies are expected to maintain control over crude flows while selectively expanding international chartering. KPC subsidiary KOTC has ordered new VLCCs at South Korean yards, with deliveries scheduled by 2026. ADNOC is reportedly evaluating methanol-capable propulsion. Asyad Shipping has consolidated a 32-ship fleet including VLCCs and product tankers to support Oman’s refining and export network. Alternative fuels remain a declared ambition but are not yet widely adopted. Digital platforms and voyage analytics are more immediately influential, especially where tied to port integration, turnaround, and emissions reporting.

The Middle East tanker fleet reflects the wider region: highly strategic, deeply political, and increasingly diverse. National champions remain dominant in crude export volumes, but private and foreign-controlled fleets are reshaping regional trading patterns. Tanker deployment is no longer a uniform exercise in energy logistics, but a set of adaptive commercial strategies influenced by sanctions, compliance thresholds, and evolving regional demand.